St. Gary of Gygax

So, just found out yesterday from a friend about ADVENTURES DARK AND DEEP, an attempt to project what second edition ADandD would have looked like if Gygax had done it. Haven't seen the results yet, but here's their premise:

What if Gary Gygax had not left TSR in 1985, and had been allowed to continue developing the world’s most famous fantasy role-playing game?

Adventures Dark and Deep attempts to answer that question.

We will, unfortunately, never know exactly what it would have looked like, because Gary Gygax did leave TSR in that year, and others took over the job of designing the second (and subsequent) versions of the game. After that unfortunate episode, he was understandably reluctant to give any advice on how he would have carried the game forward.

However, he did leave behind hints as to the direction he would have taken the game . . . 

The short answer to this alternate-world question is easy: If Gygax had not left TSR in 1985, the company would have gone broke in '87 or '86 rather than 1996-97. But aside from that, their premise is flawed, since by 1985 Gygax was no longer writing the books he was putting his name on; that had ceased after about 1982.

Still, it's an interesting mind-experiment, and those curious about where it might take them can see via the following link:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/111944/Adventures-Dark-and-Deep-Players-Manual?filters=0_0_0_0_44840


For myself, I'm still perfectly happy with Gygax's masterpiece, 1st edition ADandD, and would gladly play it anytime I could get a group together, were such a thing still possible in this day and age.

--John R.
current reading: PORTRAIT OF JENNIE --Rbt Nathan (1940), J. SMITH by 'Fougasse' (Queen Mary's Dollhouse, 1922)
today's song: "On the Way" from McCartney II.